In wake of STEM school shooting, debate reignites over guns in schools

Editor's Note:Denver7 360 stories explore multiple sides of the topics that matter most to Coloradans, bringing in different perspectives so you can make up your own mind about the issues. To comment on this or other 360 stories, email us at 360@TheDenverChannel.com
. See more 360 stories here.

He’s a believer in arming deputies at every school and says we must find the resources to make it happen.

"I think it should be budgeted,” Kerr said. “And I think it should be a consideration. What's the most valuable thing we have? It's our children. Why aren't we protecting them to the best of our ability?"

If not armed deputies, what about private security guards or armed teachers?

“Those young men were just incredibly courageous," Kerr said. “If you think back to what happened on Flight 93, it's time to fight back."

But no one wants that to be the new normal.

"There's not a person in this country that doesn't want this stuff to go away," said former Arapahoe County sheriff Dave Walcher. Walcher was the incident commander during Columbine.

Countries like New Zealand have acted swiftly. The island nation banned assault weapons after a shooting in March of this year, which is now law.

But in the United States and the Second Amendment, most acknowledge that is easier said than done.

"I can see both sides of it,” said one conflicted parent. “I wouldn't want to be forced to be armed as a teacher, but then you have your kids there."

Rep. Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, lost his son in the Aurora Theater shooting and he believes gun control is the answer.

After this week's shooting, Sullivan offers a grim reality.

"Mom and dad - you need to begin to realize - it's going to happen," Sullivan said. “At your school, at your theater, at your church or synagogue - it's going to happen."

"The solution is - have people that are very well trained, armed and are willing to protect others," Kerr argued.

But the cost of armed deputies and metal detectors at every school have long been the hang-ups for school administrators.

"If I'm responsible for increasing achievement scores on tests, while I also have to talk about hiring SRO's to protect schools, there's competing interests there,” said a spokesman with Cherry Creek Schools. “They're both important, they're both critical, but there's only so much money we have to do that. And that's the biggest conversation we need to have."

Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.